Jost Amman

D. Schindler (L.793);
Freidrich Bürki;
sale, Berlin, Amsler & Ruthardt, 24 April 1895, lot 20, reproduced;
sale, Berlin, Amsler & Ruthardt, 25-27 June 1908, lot 311;
sale, Leipzig, C.G. Boerner, 13 November 1924, lot 420, as Lindtmayer;
A.V. Heck, Vienna;
Bears unidentified collector's mark, verso (L.168, A. Rump, according to Thöne)

Munich, Münchener Glaspalast, Katalog für die Ausstellung der Werke älterer Meister, 1876, part II, no. 2573 as Tobias Stimmer, lent by D. Schindler;
Schaffhausen, Museum zu Allerheiligen, Daniel Lindtmayer 1552-1606, Handzeichnugen, 1952, catalogue by H. von Ziegler, no. 16 as Lindtmayer;

F. Warnecke, Herald. Kunstblätter, 11, 1877, no. 176, fig. 47, as Stimmer;
F. Warnecke, Musterblätter für Künstler und Gewerbetreibende, part II, 1883, fig. 17, as Stimmer;
F. Thöne, Tobias Stimmer, Handzeichnungen, Freiburg 1936, no. 325, as Lindtmayer;
K. Pilz, 'Amman' in Mitteilungen des Vereins für Geschichte der Stadt Nürnberg 37, 1940, p. 213, reproduced, as Amman;
F. Thöne, Daniel Lindtmayer 1552-1606/07, Zürich/Munich 1975, cat. no. 528, as Amman
 

Unframed. The composition apparently cut at the top. The bottom right corner made up. Vertical crease in centre and horizontal creases above centre, the latter backed. Minor tears and repairs, right edge. Various small pin holes. Some light staining throughout and somewhat abraded lower left corner. Ink otherwise good and strong.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The attribution to Jost Amman was confirmed by Dr. Kurt Pilz in a letter dated 27 November 1966, which was quoted by Thöne in his 1975 book on Lindtmayer (loc. cit.).

The Swabian title of the Counts of Zimmern died out in 1594, upon the demise of Wilhelm von Zimmern and his property.  By means of a cunning contract, the title passed to the Emperor whom the count had served.  As the arms in the present design are charged with a heart-shaped shield bearing the double-headed eagle, the patron must have been Count Wilhelm.  In 1563 Ammann drew another glass design for the same family¹ and there are stylistic parallels with other designs and elaborate title pages executed by the artist during the 1570s.  Further designs by Amman that are comparable in execution, if not composition, include the Judgement of Solomon in Schaffhausen and the Daughter of Jephta in Nuremberg, both dated 1571, and both containing extremely similar decorative elements.

See also lots 2 and 9, above.

1. Frankfurt Historisches Museum, Pilz. no. 33, fig. V